Sooners hoping to make things difficult for Texas QB Arch Manning
NORMAN — Arch Manning’s struggles have been well-documented as Texas has dropped to 3-2 on the season.
But OU coach Brent Venables had nothing but praise for the Texas quarterback on Tuesday. Despite the issues with the Longhorns’ offense as a whole, particularly in last Saturday’s 29-21 loss to Florida, Venables lauded Manning’s poise and toughness.
“Going right back and going right back at it with confidence, making plays, decisions,” Venables said on what’s stood out about Manning. “He’s a leader. Heavy is the crown. That position has to carry a lot of weight. And he’s done it like a champ, in my opinion. You’ve got a small sample size, but that’s who he’s been.
“He comes from a lineage — doesn’t guarantee anything — but he comes from a lineage that, that’s who they’ve been, and, so far, that’s what I’ve seen. Toughness and courage, the edginess, the response. All of those things are indicative of what I’m talking about.”
The Sooners will try to continue to make things difficult on the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite during the Red River Shootout on Saturday (2:30 p.m. ABC). And the first step will be to make things tough on Manning.
The former five-star prospect has shown flashes of elite talent, particularly with his arm strength. He’s throw for 1,151 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 60% of his passes, and he’s tied for fourth best in the country with 13 passes of 30-plus yards. He’s also been the best part of the Longhorns’ rushing attack, leading the team in carries (43), yards (160) and rushing touchdowns (5).
But there’s been plenty of inconsistency and mistakes, and a lot of that has been the poor play of the offensive line. Manning has been pressured on 68 of his drop backs, the 12th most among 200 qualifying quarterbacks. On those throws, he’s completed 21 of 48 attempts (44%) for 411 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s thrown five interceptions this season and fumbled twice.
Against the Gators, Manning threw for 263 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also sacked six times. The Sooners will hope to generate that kind of pressure this weekend, while also keeping Manning from beating them with his rushing ability.
“It’ll be a big part of the game, oviously, our guys’ ability up front to win and not allow the clock to be exponentially long,” Venables said. “Very talented, tough kid, loved how he battled and was able to bring his team back last week on the road in Gainesville. It’s a very difficult place to play. They were charged up and excited to see Texas. And man, I just appreciate and respect the courage that I watched him play with as a young player. And (he) hadn’t been in that position really much, if at all.
“And I thought, again, what you saw even on tape at Ohio State, where he got within a score, having a chance to go win there. Same thing last week, tremendous arm talent, great athlete. Really has a strong pocket presence when he does scramble, can run through a lot of trash. He’s got great speed and quickness as well. Real weapon as a dual-threat guy.”
The Sooners should be in prime position to make things tough on Manning. They rank second nationally in tackles for loss (50) and tied for second in sacks (21), and they have the ninth-best pass-rushing grade, per Pro Football Focus.
If the Sooners can create pressure against Texas’ struggling offensive line, they should be able to make things difficult on Manning and the Longhorns’ offensive line.
“(The) ability’s there,” OU defensive tackle Gracen Halton said of Manning. “He can get out the pocket. He’s a great quarterback so we’ve got to do our rush techniques and close the lanes.”
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